History Outside My Window, and Good Beer Inside

This week I'm writing from Rocklin CA, a neighbor to Roseville CA and a stop on one of the most famous & historically significant rail lines in the world. This part of the world owns the line across Donner Summit, the Central Pacific route that met with the Union Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah to complete the first US transcontinental route. Here's a book I recommend to anyone wanting the story of how the line was built. If ever you visit, this book provides excellent context, and affords an appreciation for all that handwork needed to slice through the Sierra. A lot of men, mostly Chinese coolie labor, died building this route. I have some slides of the Chinese Coolie monument erected in their memory, located in Auburn CA at the Track 1 depot. BTW, Track 1 (the original track) skirts the east side of town, and Track 2 skirts the west side. AMTRAK (the California Zephyr) and Sacramento commuter rail use Track 2.

I get to snap a few pictures in & around Rocklin and Roseville, either before work or (at this time of year) after I leave the office. I've noticed traffic on the Donner Pass line (officially the Roseville Subdivision) is more frequent than it was when I first arrived here last November. It's no racetrack, but the chances are if you arrive trackside, you'll see something moving if you're patient enough to wait. I've spent a few lunch hours in Rocklin, at the point where Tracks 1 & 2 diverge - the tracks meet up briefly in Newcastle, and diverge again until around Colfax - and have been skunked, only to hear train horns sounding within an hour of my leaving.

Last night I left work and followed the tracks east, "up the hill" from Rocklin to past Newcastle on old US 40. I stopped for my weekly brew, and while making my selection I was rewarded with a WB autoracks. The engines were ... big, and painted Armour Yellow with "UNION PACIFIC" prominently displayed. There were 3 late-model GEs. Sorry diesel fans, that's all I recorded in my brain. The train was about 50 cars long. For the record, I spotted it just west of the center of bustling Loomis CA.

As for this week's beer: it's a selection from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company, conveniently located in a valley north of Ukiah CA and south of Fort Bragg CA. You hafta wanna get there - and get there I did, this past February. There are lots of places that call themselves God's Country, and I consider this location one of them. It's where I found the 11% Grade roadsign, on my way to the dramatic northern California coast. I wish I'd taken more pictures; next time I will.

The beer: AVBC's IPA. There will be a bottle or two present at the next HAPTening in The Center Of The Universe, Hebron ME

Wheelman ... out